LATEST Oct. 18, 3:54 p.m. The 49ers officially ruled Matthew Wright, last week’s starting kicker, out with a shoulder injury. Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Friday that Anders Carlson will be elevated from the practice squad. Oct. 18, 11:29 a.m. The San Francisco 49ers are expected to elevate kicker Ander Carlson to the starting lineup for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs, marking the third kicker the team will have started in three weeks. This expectation came from John Lynch during his morning hit on the Friday episode of KNBR’s “Murph and Markus” morning show. San Francisco’s kicker against the Seahawks on Oct. 10 was Matthew Wright, who picked up a stinger on his shoulder during a tackle he made in Seattle, an injury that continues to affect him.
“We signed Anders Carlson to our practice squad, and it’s likely that Matt Wright – unfortunately, he took a little bit of a beating on the one tackle he made in that game,” Lynch said. “He came in, kicked extremely well for us, but Anders is a guy who had a tremendous workout, who we think highly of, and it could be a high likelihood that he’s getting an opportunity. He’s on our practice squad, but we can flex him up, and then he’ll be kicking on Sunday. We’ll see here today, but likely the way that that’s going to go.” Wright was meant to be the replacement for Jake Moody, the second-year kicker out of Michigan whom the Niners surprisingly took in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the first time in 21 years that San Francisco selected a kicker in the draft at all. Moody, like Wright, also got hurt during a tackle attempt, but his injury happened in the Week 5 loss against the Cardinals and resulted in a high ankle sprain when his body folded over his kicking leg. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky came in to kick a field goal to end the first half of that game but didn’t get another attempt in the second half.
This is the latest in a long line of special teams frustrations the Niners have dealt with this season. They suffered a blocked punt against Minnesota, multiple special teams gaffes cost them the game in Los Angeles, they gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown against Seattle – just the second kickoff return touchdown scored throughout the NFL this season – and their kickers have become cannon fodder during returns. Sunday’s pivotal game against the Chiefs could always be when all of this turns around – and what an opportune turnaround it would be – but it’s worth noting that Carlson was on the Packers last season, where finished 24th in the league in field-goal percentage and capped the year off with a missed 41-yard field goal against the 49ers in the NFC playoffs. That kick would have put Green Bay up seven points late in the fourth quarter, but instead, the Niners were able to parlay the whiff into a touchdown to go up three and held on to win, 24-21. This could be a cause for concern, but look on the bright side: Maybe Carlson’s performance in January indicated that his most important kicks always benefit the Niners.
